Seal-press.



No. 74 ,475 PATENTED DEG.29,1903.

P. w. BROOKS.

- SEAL PRESS.

PPPP IOATION FILED MAY 29. 1901. RENEWED OGT. 23,1903.

' NITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

S EAL-PRESS.

sPECIFIqATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,474, dated December29, 1903.

Application filed May 29. 1901. Renewed October 23, 1903. $erial No.178,286. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN W. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington city, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Presses; and Ido herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inseal-presses, and particularly to that class in which the organizationof the mechanism is such that when used to compress an ordinary leadseal a complete and uniform impression must be made before thecompressed seal can be removed from the press.

To secure the results above described, presses have been devised inwhich, by the use of pawl-and-ratchet mechanism the handles or leverswhen started toward each other for causing the die to approach oneanother must be moved to such an extent as to produce complete anduniform impressions before they are permitted to return to their normalpositions. An example of such a press is found in Letters Patent No.650,807, granted to me on the 29th day of May, 1900, and in whichreversible pawls pivoted within the head of the press cooperate withratchets on the insidefaces of thevibratingleveror handle which operatesthe reciprocating or movable die. of the pawl-and-ratchet devicesnecessarily add to the first cost of the press and also involve repairsto a greater or less extent. These presses are for the most part used byrailroad companies and are furnished and kept in repair free of cost bycontractors who furnish the seals to said companies, and hence theoriginal cost and all repairs are matters of great consideration.

My invention has for'its object to provide a press which will producecomplete and uniform impressions and-without the employment of anypawl-and-ratchet or other mechanism for controlling the movement of thelovers or handles toward or from each other and which shall be economicof construction In all presses of this kind the presence and requiringno repairs in respect of such movement of the levers or handles.

The principle involved in all presses devised to secure complete anduniform impressions of the lead seal lies in the fact that after thecompression of the seal has begun said seal cannot be removed from. thepress until the compression has been completed, thus requiring acomplete movement of the vibrating lever-handle and the die operatedthereby.

My invention consists of a sealing-press having a stationarylever-handle and a head formed integral therewith provided with astationary adjustable lower die and a verticallyreciprocating die, thelatter operated by a vibrating lever-handle pivoted within the head ofthe press, the head of said press being formed with a gatewayintermediate of the faces of the two dies, said gateway being of varyingwidths at different localities and hearing such predetermined andproportionate relation to the movement of the reciprocating die that.when the latter has begun to compress and flatten the stem or body ofthe soft -metal seal the latter cannot be withdrawn from the press andout of the gateway until said seal has been completely compressed andthe proper impressions have been made thereon, as will be hereinafterand in detail described.

' My invention further consists in providing the upper oblique orbeveled face of the reciprocating die with a recess and locating thereina steel or other similarly hard metal bearing-surface and providing themovable lever-handle with an antifrictiomroller adapted to contact withthe hard-metal face of the die.

In orderthat those skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsmay know how to make and use my improved press and to fully understandits advantages, I will proceed to describe its construction andoperation, referring by reference characters to the accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side view of'a press embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the form and proportionsof the gateway or entrance for the seal. Fig. 3 is a central verticalsection taken on the line as a; of

Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view of the vibrating lever-handle. Fig. 5isaperspective view of the movable or reciprocating die and its spring,and Fig. 6 is an elevation of such a seal as my improved press isdesigned to compress.

I Similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

A is the lower or stationary lever-handle, having formed integraltherewith a head B, provided at its upper end with a recess 0 and earsor lugs D. The head is bored vertically and centrally to receive amovable or reciprocating die E and formed with an annular shoulder F toconstitute a seat for the lower coil of a spring G, surrounding thereduced body of the die E, which is formed with an annular shoulder H,against which the upper coil of the spring G bears.

I is the movable or vibrating lever-handle, formed with lugs or ears J,between which is pivoted an antifriction-roller K, adapted to travelover the oblique upper face of the die E. The movable lever-handle I ispivoted within the lugs or ears D of the head B by a pin L.

The lower end of the head A is bored vertically to receive the lowerstationary die M, which is adjustably secured within its seat by ascrew-thread and is held in any given adjustment by a set-screw N, and Ois an adjustable stop threaded into the lower or stationary lever-handleto limit the downward movement of the upper vibrating lever-handle in anobvious manner.

The front or face of the head A is formed with a seal entrance orgateway leading to the central vertical bore or seal-space between theupper and lower dies. This gateway, as clearly seen at Fig. 2, is of hatshape, the lower portion being wider than the upper portion, or, inother words, a comparatively broad horizontal portion P to receive thehead of a soft-metal seal-rivet and an upper.

comparatively narrow vertical portion Q to receive the shank of asoft-metal seal-rivet. This hat-shaped gateway not only necessitates thepresentation of the rivet to the action of the dies in a given position,as fully described in the Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to, butthe proportions of the entrances P and Q relatively to each other and tothe vertical movement of the reciprocating die E are predeterminedlysuch that when.

the downward movement of the upper reciprocating die E has been begun itmust be continued and completed before the seal can be withdrawn fromthe press, and consequently the impressions produced by the action ofthe dies must of necessity be complete and uniform.

In order to facilitate the introduction of a seal-rivet into thegatewayP Q of the press, the metal surrounding said gateway is beveledtoward the gateway, as clearly shown by the shaded lines at Fig. 2.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the upper reciprocating dieE is formed at its upper beveled end with a recess or seat 1, withinwhich is located and secured in any desired manner a plug or block 2 ofhard steel to constitute the bearing-surface for the antifriction rollerK, thus rendering it unnecessary to make the entire body of the die ofhigh grade and expensive metal.

From the construction shown and described it will be seen, ashereinbefore stated, that myimproved press, while of economic and simpleconstruction, has all of the advantages of the more complicated andexpensive ratchet seal-press and that the same is not liable to get outof order or to require repair.

Having described the construction and operat-ion as well as theadvantages of my improved press, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A seal-press composed of a lower or stationary handle lever and head,the latter bored to receive a reciprocating die and a stationary die,andprovided with a gateway leading to the space between the dies,and saidgateway being of hat shape and of such predetermined dimensions as toreceive a hat-shaped seal and to preventits withdrawalafter partialcompression and until complete and uniform compression has beeneffected; a vibrating lever pivoted in the head of the stationary handleand adapted to act upon a reciprocating die movable vertically below thelower terminus of the crown portion of the hatshaped gateway,substantially as for the purpose set forth,

2. In a seal-press, in combination with the stationary handle and diesupporting and carrying head, and a reciprocating die having its upperend beveled and recessed vertically and provided with an insertedbeveled block, a vibrating handle pivoted within the head and providedwith a freely-revoluble roller adapted to travel over the beveled blockin the end of the reciprocating die, substantially as hereinbefore setforth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN W. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

D. G. STUART, W. M. HANNAY.

IIO

